Pelicans Rehabbed From Gulf Oil Spill Released Into Texas Wildlife Refuge

ROCKPORT, Texas — More than five dozen brown pelicans rehabilitated from the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico have been released in Texas.

The 62 pelicans arrived on Coast Guard cargo planes Wednesday and were taken to the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge about 175 miles south of Houston. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and other groups released the pelicans and one northern gannet.

Wednesday's release was the largest to date since an offshore oil rig exploded April 20.

Fish and Wildlife spokeswoman Nancy Brown said the refuge was chosen because it has the coastal habitat the pelicans need and was already home to a population of brown pelicans.

Comments

[Ravyn]

10:36 AM on 06/25/2010

Heartwarming. Just hope the oil doesn't make its way that far west or the birds don't fly back east. Hope they're all safe there.

[Kevin Atlanta]

10:40 AM on 06/24/2010

Less than 1% of these birds survive the clean-up, rehab and release process and then they, like homing pigeons head right back to the habitats they were removed from. It's a sad reality.

[2question]

03:24 PM on 06/24/2010

Please quit promulgating misinformation. The survival rate for the brown pelican is much higher than that. Honestly, some people...

I mean what are we supposed to do? Not even try? I'm sure BP would love it if we just rolled on over and gave up but I'm not going to do that.

[janie@atthelake]

03:31 PM on 06/24/2010

thank you 2question...

[Kevin Atlanta]

03:50 PM on 06/24/2010

As a Biologist who taught for the University of Florida, has vast experience in wildlife rescue and rehabilitation the number is unfortunately accurate. I know it inflames sensibilities that this occurs but the reptilian brain of the birds does not identify man-made dangers and the anthropomorphization of the process of "rescue" is often tantamount to torture.
The birds are hardwired to nesting sites now inundated in crude oil. The fishing and feeding grounds contaminated and all based on the Corporate Fascist Greed.
I too am sickened by this event but short of containment and confinement until the oil is cleaned up there is little to no hope for birds released even hundred of miles from their capture sites. These animals return to the area they were captured and are not likely to be rescued twice. Once is a miracle, twice is impossible.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/06/10/oiled.birds.rescue/index.html

I'm not trying to rain on anyone's parade or good works but looking at the reality.

[Ravyn]

10:39 AM on 06/25/2010

That information has been debunked by bird experts working in the Gulf cleaning the pelicans. It was true 20 years ago. Bird experts told CNN that today with advances in how to care for the birds, they have at least an 85% chance of survival. Big birds like pelicans especially do well, he said.

[narfpaul]

09:37 AM on 06/24/2010

"the mortality of oiled birds is five to 10 times that of non-oiled birds, and a large proportion - 90 percent or more - of oiled birds do not survive after release. It should be noted that it is the policy of some European countries and some U.S. conservation organizations to euthanize oiled birds."

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/06/22/EDFM1E330F.DTL
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=127749940&ps=cprs

I don't think we have any idea of what we are doing...

[Marley Inksetter-Smith]

09:56 AM on 06/24/2010

62 birds...wow! Now how many of those 62 will die upon release? Assuming 90 percent of those will die...we have saved 7 pelicans. Awesome, now I can sleep at night :)

I agree with some comments that, yes, this is a very important thing to be doing, but the fact is that it is highly unsuccessful. The only way to SAVE these animals is to stop the spill, and clean up the oil. Even still, animal casualties will be remarkable.
It is merely a cushion, an inspiring article amidst all the terrifying ones, to allow people to sleep at night.

[Ravyn]

10:41 AM on 06/25/2010

85% of the birds that were oil and rehabilitated, are likely to survive provided they don't come into contact again with the oil. This is according to wildlife experts working in Louisiana rescuing and cleaning these birds. The 1% statistic is from the 1980s and obsolete due to advances in how to care for injured and oily covered birds.

[janie@atthelake]

10:41 AM on 06/24/2010

Lets just see. The Fish & Wildlife Department is made up of some pretty smart folks. To be sure, sadly, many have ingested some oil.
This shot is better than no shot at helping them.

[narfpaul]

07:03 PM on 06/24/2010

or we could invest our resources and manpower into finding more effective technologies instead of wasting them on technologies that do not work, but only serve to make us feel better.

it's like BP spending money on advertisements about their clean up effort instead of spending money on the actual clean up.

[Stuzzadelic]

09:07 AM on 06/24/2010

How wonderful! This is far more important than anything the Tea Party has done, is doing or will do.

[janie@atthelake]

10:42 AM on 06/24/2010

Yup...wanna see them fly? http://www.kristv.com/player/?video_id=5087

[Coinyer101]

08:52 AM on 06/24/2010

lol..,just in time for a hurricane to come along and cover 'em with crud again...,

[emmanuel goldstein]

08:32 PM on 06/24/2010

Could be...
http://www.weather.com/maps/maptype/satelliteworld/gulfofmexicosatellite_large.html

[emmanuel goldstein]

09:06 PM on 06/24/2010

"Tropical cyclones have to bundle their heat energy and focus it around a common area of low pressure in the center. This is not happening right now with 93L and until it does, it will not develop in to anything significant."

Looks like this one shouldn't be too bad.

[emmanuel goldstein]

09:06 PM on 06/24/2010

http://www.hurricanetrack.com/

[janie@atthelake]

08:37 AM on 06/24/2010

I'm taking my pop down there next week....this is such a wonderful story.

[TAMPA M]

07:27 AM on 06/24/2010

These other names of our career criminal politician's we need to vote these corrupt politicians out of office

Candidate Name Party State Oil Contributions
Alexander, Rodney M. REP LA + $26,900
Barrow, John J. DEM GA + $24,500
Barton, Joe Linus REP TX + $85,770
Boehner, John A. REP OH + $37,750
Boren, David Daniel DEM OK + $65,100
Boustany, Charles Jr. REP LA + $49,450
Brady, Kevin REP TX + $29,500
Burgess, Michael C. REP TX + $29,950
Cantor, Eric REP VA + $69,400
Cole, Tom REP OK + $35,600
Conaway, Michael REP TX + $72,800
Costa, Jim DEM CA + $25,500
Edwards, Chet DEM TX + $73,430
Fleming, John Calvin Jr. REP LA + $44,800
Gohmert, Louie REP TX + $29,550
Granger, Kay REP TX + $37,350
Green, Raymond E. 'Gene' DEM TX + $39,000
Hastings, Doc REP WA + $35,400
Hoyer, Steny Hamilton DEM MD + $26,500
Lummis, Cynthia M. REP WY + $38,150
McCarthy, Kevin REP CA + $25,500
McCaul, Michael REP TX + $43,950
Murphy, Tim REP PA + $27,950
Neugebauer, Randy REP TX + $64,750
Olson, Peter G. REP TX + $54,400
Rodriguez, Ciro D. DEM TX + $25,150
Ross, Michael Avery DEM AR + $54,250
Scalise, Steve Rep LA + $30,050
Sessions, Pete REP TX + $31,650
Sullivan, John REP OK + $41,700

[NoahVail]

08:08 AM on 06/24/2010

Its not raining oil in LA. Its raining oil money in DC.

[emmanuel goldstein]

08:35 PM on 06/24/2010

I think politicians should have to wear the logos of the companies they get money from on their suits just like NASCAR drivers do.

[1776 or 1984]

06:50 AM on 06/24/2010

I heard that BP is killing animals so reporters can't show us.

[emmanuel goldstein]

08:37 PM on 06/24/2010

Then there are the countless souls that sink and get washed out to sea and are never seen.

[SurfsideSix]

04:00 AM on 06/24/2010

the sad cost of it all. http://video.godlikeproductions.com/video/Oil_Hits_Pensacola_Beach_The_Darkest_Day_for_Pensacola_Beach_Ever?id=20daecf7723d2235624

[emmanuel goldstein]

08:48 PM on 06/24/2010

That baby dolphin would only be swimming alone if it's pod were all dead...now that's f'kn sad...

[mtracy9]

02:39 AM on 06/24/2010

"After the 1973 war and the first Arab oil shock, look at what America did and what Denmark did. What we did was say, "Wow! We've got to really take on this issue." So beginning with President Ford and President Carter we said we were going to double the fuel efficiency of American cars from about 13 mpg then to I think it was 27.5. We were going to do it over ten years and we did it. We were so successful doing that we helped break OPEC in the late '70s and early '80s and crater the price of oil. That worked out so well that Ronald Reagan, when he came along, said, "That's enough of that!" He ripped off the solar panels that Jimmy Carter had put on the White House roof -- they were recently auctioned online.... Some of those solar companies that we spawned in the '70's and '80's -- they went bust also when we removed our subsidies and taxes. They were bought by Japan. I can't tell you how grateful the innovators and corporate leaders of Japan and Denmark are today for all the money America invested in research in wind and solar, spawning companies here which went bust in the '80s when we removed the subsidies from them.... One of the leading wind innovators in America, in fact, was given a medal of honor by the government of Denmark. All his technology ended up there."
--Thomas Friedman

[SaraRose]

01:40 AM on 06/24/2010

What keeps the pelicans from migrating back to their known territory? Also, will the oil contamination affect the Aransas Wildlife Refuge? The refuge is home to the whooping crane, too.

[mlmn08]

12:35 AM on 06/24/2010

This is the best news....thanks to all the under appreciated workers.....your country thanks you!!!!

[jan4insight]

02:05 AM on 06/24/2010

x2

[sphoto]

10:03 PM on 06/23/2010

$$$ and Politics won't matter when we have no clean air to breath, no fresh water to drink, and our planet will no longer support human life

[muadibe]

11:37 PM on 06/23/2010

It really is that simple.

[Uniongrl]

09:39 PM on 06/23/2010

How a tragedy can make you appreciate something affected by it, like you never have before!

[klbrz]

08:31 PM on 06/23/2010

I hope the birds stick around there.